Starfish Savior
by MissdaVinci77
Summary: Reid is distant after Gideon's departure, so the team decides a vacation is needed. What happens on their beach trip? Moving on, hilarity, discoveries about the young doctor, and the saving of starfish. Really cute onshot of a BAU vacation. T to be safe


_Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds :(_

…_.._

"Come oooooooooooooon, Reid," whined Garcia, pouting her pink lip-glossed lips, looking quite adorable. Reid turned away from the puppy dog-eyed look she was giving him and continued packing his messenger bag.

"Absolutely not," he said simply.

"But everyone else is going! It'll stink if you're not there." Penelope walked up to Spencer and began poking his bony shoulder repeatedly. Maybe she could annoy him into coming.

"You'll have a great time. Besides I have plans, I already told you."

"Did you convince him yet, Garcia?" said JJ walking into the office, flanked by Prentiss and Hotch, duffle bags on their shoulders.

"No, he's being a pooper," frowned Garcia, huffing, and falling into Reid's chair, which he was just about to sit on.

"Spence, come on. It's just one weekend!" said JJ, whining like Garcia.

"_Long _weekend, JJ. And I don't know how many times I have to tell you guys, I have plans."

"You mean how many times do I have to _lie _to you," said Morgan, walking into the office, carrying a bag as well, and dressed in a loose t-shirt and shorts with flip-flops.

Reid swallowed. "I'm not lying. I'm going home."

"No you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"_No_ you're not."

"_Yes, _I am."

"No-"

"Okay, okay, you're worse than kindergarteners," said Prentiss, rolling her eyes. "Prove it, Morgan."

Morgan and Garcia exchanged looks and smiles, before Morgan spoke up. "I had Penelope check your credit card records, and no plane tickets were bought in the past four months, kid."

Reid gaped, mouth open and eyes wide. "You checked my _credit card records?"_

"I didn't believe you!"

"Why NOT!"

"We're profilers, Reid. And besides, I was right. You were lying. So now you're coming with us to the beach."

"No, I'm not. I'm going home for a peaceful weekend of rest and relaxation. Have fun getting skin cancer," said Reid trying to go around Morgan, who kept stepping in front of him.

"Nope, we're staging an intervention." Ever since Gideon's departure, Reid hadn't been his usual statistic-shooting, Pretty Boy, Junior G-man self. He needed a bit of fun. He needed a bit of eye candy.

"So what, you're kidnapping me?" said Reid sarcastically.

"Yes, actually," said Hotch, bringing out another duffle bag full of Reid's clothes.

"You too, Hotch. You're supposed to be on my side!" He turned to Morgan. "You raided my apartment?"

"Yup. Okay, everyone to the car!" Garcia squealed excitedly and grabbed Reid by the hand, dragging him to the parking lot where everyone squished into one large black SUV.

….

Hotch was driving, with Morgan sitting shotgun. JJ, Emily and Penelope were squeezed into the three seats in the row behind, with Spencer squished in the back row with the six huge duffle bags, face almost pressing up against the window.

"That's what you get for lying to the Goddess of Supreme Knowledge," said Garcia when Spencer began to protest at the discomfort.

He just sighed and rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to go to the beach. He never liked it. The only time he had ever enjoyed it was the one time he went with his mom and they looked at all the starfish that had washed up on the shore in the storm the night before. Spencer remembered trying to throw every last one back into the water, 'saving them' he called it. His mother, despite knowing it was pointless, that they would never 'save' all of them, laughed lightly, and helped him for hours.

But that was a long time ago.

"Oh my Gosh! Turn the radio up, Hotch!" cried JJ, excited. "I looooove this song!"

"_It's hot as hell even in the shade  
Squeeze you a little bit of lemonade  
Wear next to nothing and we like it  
Coconut oil going down my back  
Girls trying to give the guys a heart attack  
Baby there's no denying  
The reason for July's skinny dipping and checking out tan lines  
Making out underneath the moonlight"_

"OH YEAH, BOYS LOOK SO MUCH HOTTER IN THE SUMMER!" sang the trio of girls in front of Reid. Screamed it, more likely, causing Reid to jump into the air. Safe to say, he had never heard this song before.

"Yeah yeah take your shirt off let the water pull me under, Oh I must be dreaming, Oh you got me singing yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah," they sang, rocking out, dancing as much as the seat belt restriction would let them. Morgan was laughing up front, dancing along with them, and even Hotch was smiling.

"What? That has to be one of the most derogatory songs for men I have ever heard," protested Reid, smiling at the obvious amusement of his female colleagues.

"Welcome to the world of women, Spence," said JJ, laughing out loud.

"Yeah," insisted Prentiss. "There isn't a song out there that doesn't degrade women. It's about time the men had their turn."

"Here, here!" cried Garcia in response.

Reid just laughed and rolled his eyes. This was definitely going to be an adventure.

…

It took a few hours to reach the beach, but they were there finally. JJ went to check themselves into the hotel while the rest of the team went up to check out the rooms, keys in hand. Derek was with Spencer, the girls had a room, and Hotch got his own.

After placing his bag on the bed, Derek turned to Reid. "Get your trunks own kid, we're hitting the beach in twenty."

"Come on, I let you drag me to the beach, that didn't mean I was going to go on it literally." And he really didn't want to. Lately, the only thing he wanted to do was go home and chill out. He knew he was moping. Moping about Gideon. And he was angry. The last thing he wanted to do was go to the beach, of all places.

"That's the point, kid. THE BEACH! As in sand, salt water, and babes in string bikinis. Perfect distraction, no?"

"For you, Morgan," complained Reid as Morgan stuffed the dark blue swim trunks into Spencer's hands on his way to the bathroom to change himself.

"What's that supposed to mean kid?"

"Seriously, Morgan? Not exactly like I get the attention of girls, especially with you around, I would like to point out!" he called, so Morgan could hear him through the bathroom door. Morgan emerged in black trunks and a black shirt, giving Reid a pointed glare.

"Come on Reid, chicks hit on you all the time on the job!"

"That was once, and it was a group of prostitutes!"

"And Lila Archer, and Austin, and like the fifty others that you were too oblivious to notice, kid."

Reid blushed and went into the bathroom, making sure to put on a baggy t-shirt over his trunks. He hated wearing bathing suits. He always looked awkward in them, since he was so lanky. "That's not true, Morgan."

"Whatever, kid. Trust me though, they do."

…

Reid sighed. Morgan was already in the water, chatting up a few cute girls, while Hotch was hanging out under the umbrella in shorts and a t-shirt. He didn't see why he had to be in a bathing suit while Hotch didn't.

"He's married, it doesn't count," said Prentiss, laughing.

"It does too count!"

"He's not looking for a girl's attention."

"Neither am I!"

"Yes you are, if we have anything to do about it," said Garcia, eyeing Reid.

Now the three cornered him, staring pointedly at him. "Now or never, Reid." Sighing, Reid took off the t-shirt and was just in his trunks. He turned to see the three staring at him, eyebrows raised, Penelope's mouth slightly open.

He squirmed, reaching out for the shirt again, before JJ charged and ripped it from his grasp. "No, don't you dare, Spencer Reid!"

"Then stop staring! Why are you staring?"

"Because, Doctor, you are HOT!" cried Garcia, causing Reid to blush to his toes. "Who knew under those baggy button down shirts and sweater vests, the Good Doctor was freaking sexy!"

While Reid was thin, and in some ways alarmingly so, what he did have was muscle. Being in the FBI did have some benefits, he supposed.

"Reid looks so much hotter in the summer, yeah yeah," sang Prentiss to the other two girls, who joined in. Reid begged them to stop, but they ignored him. JJ and Garcia each grabbed one of his wrists and pulled him towards the water, singing all the way.

Ignoring the frigidness of the water, the three girls sprinted in while Hotch watched Spencer being pulled with them against his will. He smiled to himself. It was about time the kid had some fun, even if it was forced. Out of the whole team, Spencer took Gideon's departure the worst and understandably so. He was like Reid's surrogate father.

The father he never had.

….

Morgan chuckled as he watched Reid being asked for the fourth time in the past three hours to join a Frisbee game by four very attractive women in very sexy swim suits. Every time, Reid shook his head and politely declined blushing intensely and leaving a mildly disappointed woman.

"Come on kid, jump into the game! That last one was _fine," _said Morgan to the retreating form of the dark skinned brunette in the white bikini.

"I don't think so," said Reid, dunking his head under the water again, drowning Morgan's voice out. But Morgan just started up again when Reid re-emerged.

"That's the whole point we are here, kid. You equal chick-magnet. Chicks equal happiness. Ergo, Reid plus chick equal your happiness!"

"I am happy!" protested Reid, and surprisingly, he was. He was having a good time, even though he expected the trip to be ridiculously painful.

Garcia floated over, followed by JJ riding an orange floating noodle and Prentiss on a light pink raft.

"But you could be even happier with a babe on your shoulder, am I right my sexy genius man?" giggled Penelope, hopping onto the raft with Emily.

"Nope," said Reid, and he meant it.

"Why not!" complained JJ. All of them, Hotch included, wanted to get Gideon off Reid's mind. This was the perfect way! Their plan needed to work!

"Because, that's not how I want to meet a girl," said Reid simply.

"I'm not following," said Derek.

"What do you think would happen if I went with that last girl?" said Reid, smiling sadly. "It would have been fine for a bit, but then I would say something, like the population of Ethiopia or the origin of Frisbee, or something she really could care less about. Then she would get creeped out, and go find someone else without an over-active brain."

"Reid, come on-" started Morgan, but Reid interrupted him.

"You know it's true, Morgan. And I'm okay with that." He received raised eyebrows from his team. "I'm serious! I would rather someone like me for my brain first and then the rest."

The team contemplated this for a minute, before Emily smiled. "Well, we loved you for your brain to start with. And we still love you, even though you never told us that you looked so much hotter in the summer." The team laughed, including Reid, before JJ spoke up.

"Spence looks cute in the rest of the seasons too," argued JJ, bobbing up and down with the water. "I mean, who could wear a tie and sweater vest and still look completely adorable." JJ smiled at Spencer, who blushed and looked down at the water. "It's true," she continued. "And I like your line of thinking, Spence. About girls, that is."

Reid smiled. "Thanks, all of you."

"Thank you for what? Kidnapping you, or showing you a good time, kid?" joked Morgan.

"I know why you did it," Reid sighed, rolling his eyes, and the team exchanged glances.

"What do you mean?" asked Garcia.

"It's about Gideon, right? I know, I've been moping." Reid didn't look directly at them as he said this. He still wasn't sure how much emotion he could control while speaking about Jason.

"We were just concerned, Sweet Pea," said Garcia, eyeing Reid, noticing how upset he looked.

"We just wanted you to have a good time. Maybe get your head somewhere else other than the office for a little bit," said Emily.

"Well, I appreciate it," said Reid, smiling, pushing the thoughts about his mentor from his head. "Surprisingly, it was not as awful as I expected."

"I toooooooold you so," said Penelope, giving Spencer a big squeeze. "And we've still got a few days left!"

Reid smiled at his team. His family. He was so glad that they cared enough about him to do this.

….

They went back to their room for a bit, getting changed for dinner, which was in a few hours. Spencer decided to take a walk along the water. He was dressed in a purple polo shirt and long khaki shorts. He help his flip-flops in one hand, the other in his pocket. His face was tanner than it had been twenty-four hours ago, and a little sunburned on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

He was only walking for a few minutes when he saw JJ coming. He waved at her, JJ still being a little way off, and looked at the water edge.

Then he saw it. The starfish was just far enough away that it was being teased by the water, but had no hope of being swept away in it. He knelt down, picked it up, and lowered it into deeper water, watching it sink safely to the bottom.

JJ stood next to him, smiling and looking down the beach. Every few steps there was another starfish, too far away from the water. The beach stretched on for a bit, getting smaller and smaller.

"Need some help, Spence?" she asked picking up another and depositing it into the water.

Reid smiled at her. "There's quite a bit of ground to cover, JJ. You really want to help?"

JJ looked at her watch. "Well, we've got about two and a half hours before our reservations. I think we can do some serious damage, don't you?"

Reid watched her, remembering his mother and him, all those years ago. He smelled the salt air, heard the waves crash and the gulls cry out. He remembered showing his mother how to place the creatures into the water so that they wouldn't just wash up again. So many years ago…

But he looked at JJ, smiling at him and he nodded, and the two walked down the beach, saving the starfish for as long as they could.

And there was always tomorrow.

….

_Author's Note:_

_Cute, no? Had the idea while listening to 'Boys in the Summer' by Jessie James, obviously, but made it a bit more serious._

_Reviews greatly loved and appreciated._

_With love, MissdaVinci77_


End file.
